Friday, 10 December 2010

In a Senegal village, one wind turbine leads to a "building boom"

Oxfam researcher John McGrath visits a village in Senegal, well off the national grid, that has a wind turbine, towering above the baobabs, and a plane of solar panels. Cables lead off to every house and people pay any one of four tariffs, based on how much power they use. The result?

McGrath says there's a new pride, people talk about a “revival of the town”, young people who'd left for the capital are coming back, and people from surrounding areas are moving in, buying land and building houses.

McGrath writes: "A building boom was visibly in progress."

See also: Practical Action's report highly relevant to Ashden winners and Helping to lift people out of poverty also helps cut carbon emissions

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was struck by the positive impact of energy access on a community to galvanise change, and yet, it is clearly highlighted that this isn't the only thing that is needed: for instance lights for students to study combine with a new and inspiring teacher to improve exam results.